On a recent sunny afternoon, Alaska Native mask carver Drew Michael puts the finishing touches on an enormous mask under a canopy in his backyard in east Anchorage. Michael is creating three foot by five foot wooden masks that will be painted by artist Elizabeth Ellis to represent the cells of the top ten diseases in Alaska for a show called Aggravated Organizms.
Lori Townsend is the chief editor, senior vice president of journalism and senior host for Alaska Public Media. You can send her news tips and program ideas for Talk of Alaska and Alaska Insight at ltownsend@alaskapublic.org or call 907-550-8452. Read more about Lori here.